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August 12, 2025BUILDING PERMITS, JUNE 2025 Monthly (seasonally adjusted, June 2025 vs May 2025)
Changes in monthly building permit values are typically very volatile, with large swings from one month to the next.
Nova Scotia's total building permits (residential and non-residential) rose 4.6% to $326.9 million. Halifax permits rose 2.1% to $197.1 million while permits outside the city rose 8.7% to $129.9 million. National permits fell 9.0% to $11.95 billion. Total building permit values were up in five provinces, led by Alberta. Prince Edward Island reported the fastest monthly decline in building permit values, followed closely by British Columbia.
Nova Scotia's residential building permits grew 10.6% to $265.9 million. Halifax residential permits rose 13.1% to $174.1 million. Outside the city, residential permit values increased 6.1% to $91.9 million. National residential building permit values fell 4.3% to $7.06 billion. Residential permit values were up in five of ten provinces, led by Manitoba. British Columbia reported the fastest decline in residential permit values.
Nova Scotia's non-residential building permits fell 15.2% to $61.0 million. Halifax permits dropped 41.2% to $38.0 million. Outside the city, non-residential permit values rose 15.7% to $23.0 million. National non-residential building permit values declined 15.0% to $4.89 billion. Non-residential permit values declined in eight of ten provinces, led by Prince Edward Island. Alberta reported the fastest increase in non-residential permit values in June.
Year-to-date (January-June 2025 vs January-June 2024)
Nova Scotia's total building permits (residential and non-residential) were up 5.0% in the first six months of the year comparing with the same period in 2024. Halifax permits declined 5.5% and outside the city permit values increased 22.0%. National permits were up 6.3%. Building permit values were up in six provinces, with Saskatchewan and New Brunswick reporting the fastest increases. Prince Edward Island and Manitoba reported the fastest declines.
In the first six months of 2025, Nova Scotia's residential building permits declined 1.7% compared to the same period in 2024. Halifax residential permits fell 2.3% and outside the city residential permit values fell 0.6%. National residential building permit values increased 8.8%. Residential permit values were up in eight provinces, with the fastest increases in Saskatchewan and New Brunswick. Ontario reported the fastest decline as the only other province besides Nova Scotia to report declines in year-to-date residential building permits.
Nova Scotia's non-residential building permits rose 21.7% in the first six months of 2025 (compared with the same period in 2024), the third fastest rise in non-residential permit values among provinces. Halifax permits declined 13.4% while non-residential permits outside the city rose 78.8%. National non-residential building permit values rose 2.3%. Non-residential permit values were up in six provinces, led by Alberta. Prince Edward Island reported the steepest decline.
Growth in total permits in the first six months of the year was concentrated outside of Halifax. Higher non-residential permits outside of Halifax were partially offset by lower residential permits across the province and lower non-residential permits in Halifax, year-to-date.
Permit values for single dwelling units were down in Halifax and up in the rest of Nova Scotia. Multiple unit permits fell across the province.
Non-residential permit values were up due to notable growth in commercial permits across the province and institutional/government permits outside of Halifax. Industrial permit values were up in Halifax and down in the rest of Nova Scotia resulting in a slight decline in industrial permit value in Nova Scotia.
Trends
Overall building permit values have generally been on a rising trend for several years, though there have been periods of declining values over this period. Rising permit values are mostly driven by higher residential permits within Halifax, as well as outside the city, to a smaller degree.
After trending down in late 2022 and early 2023, residential permit values started to rise again (due to growth in Halifax) in the middle of 2023. Residential permits then grew at a slower pace through the first half of 2024 before declining in the second half of the year. In recent months, residential permits have trended modestly upward as contributions from outside the city offset declines in Halifax.
Nova Scotia's non-residential building permit values started to rise in early 2023 before reaching a plateau through the end of the year. Non-residential permit values reached a plateau in Halifax while declining in the rest of Nova Scotia, resulting in a continuation of flat trend for most of 2024. Non-residential permits have trended up in recent months due to notable growth outside the city.
Trends in residential permit values reflect the differences in housing markets for Halifax and the rest of the province. In Halifax, growth in permit values for multi-unit dwellings has outpaced growth in single-dwelling unit permits. Outside the city the situation is reversed, where single dwelling unit permits are more common than permits for multi-unit structures. Residential permits trended down in the second half of 2024 due to the decline among multiples in Halifax and lower permits for single unit dwellings. In recent months, residential permits have trended modestly upward on fluctuating permits for multiples in Halifax and higher overall residential permits outside of Halifax.
Non-residential building permits have lower values than residential permits. In Halifax, non-residential permits reached a trough and have trended upward in recent months. Institutional/governmental projects have been declining in recent months and commercial and industrial projects are trending up. Outside the city, permits have exhibited a rise in recent months due to growth in commercial and institutional/government permits.
Source: Statistics Canada. Table 34-10-0292-01 Building permits, by type of structure and type of work (x 1,000)
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